THEY have won dozens of gold medals together on the dance floor.
Now, Raymond Callis, 78, and his wife Joyce Waudby, 72, have celebrated another golden milestone – their 50th wedding anniversary.
The couple, of Wold View, South Cave, have been ballroom dancing together for more than 55 years.
They have competed in hundreds of competitions, set up their own dance school and taught more than 1,000 people in the city how to dance.
The couple, who grew up as neighbours in Marshall Street, west Hull, celebrated their golden wedding on Saturday.
They were joined by 150 of their friends, family and dance students at the Mercure Hull Royal Hotel in the city centre.
Raymond and Joyce, who still dance together every day, performed a ballroom routine to mark the occasion.
They were also surprised with a 25-minute presentation.
Joyce, who won the title of all-England ballet champion at 17, said: "Dancing is our lives and we thoroughly enjoy it.
"We have danced together for nearly 60 years and have won trophies at amateur and professional levels.
"We have also spent seven days a week – morning, afternoon and evening – teaching people how to dance.
"It seemed fitting for ballroom dancing to be a major part of our golden wedding celebrations."
The couple, who have one son, met when Joyce was just five years old.
Raymond, a former telephone engineer, said: "I lived down the road from Joyce and turned up to her fifth birthday party.
"We remained friends throughout childhood and I went to watch her dance when she was 15.
"I kept going to watch her dance – until one day, I decided to join her on the dance floor."
The couple, who have brought many dance trophies to Hull, had been dating for three years when they became engaged.
Joyce, who used to work in a printers, said: "We had been going out for quite a long time and were struggling with money. Getting married was the practical option – but I wouldn't change Raymond for the world.
"He is a very kind and understanding husband."
The couple married in a lavish ceremony at St John's Church in Hull on March 30, 1963.
Their shared passion for ballroom dancing saw them enter competitions around the world.
They won dozens of amateur and professional championships, danced on a cruise ship for three years and even featured on the BBC's Come Dancing.
Joyce, an advance member of the Royal Academy of Dance, said: "We used to get up at 6am every day to practice.
"In the early days, we used to travel to London from Hull every Sunday for lessons and competitions.
"But it wasn't a chore for us because we loved dancing together so much."
The couple, who were coached by former world champion Henry Kingston, set up their own dance school in the 1970s.
Raymond said: "We had progressed as far as we could competition-wise, so we decided to become dance teachers.
"We have taught an awful lot of people to dance over the years and we get a lot of enjoyment out of doing it."
The couple ran the popular Callis-Waudby dance school in the city's Newington Hall in Ferensway for 12 years.
Raymond said the secret to their long, happy marriage was their shared interest in dancing.
He said: "We have spent our lives together doing something we both love."
Joyce, who still teaches line dancing, said: "We make sure we're very patient and understanding with each other and we keep healthy.
"We are still having a brilliant life and never think about how old we are."
